Lubricating apparatus



Jan. 4, 1938.

D. G. ADAMS 2,104,146

LUBRICATING APPARATUS Original Filed Dec. 31, 1928 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 4f, 1938 UNiTsD smits PATNT EFICE LUBRIGATING APPARATUS Original application December 31, 1928, Serial No. 329,361. Divided and `this application July 13, 1932, Serial No. 622,203

4 Claims.

This invention relates `to an improved apparatus to be used in connection with the supplying of grease at high pressure to parts to be lubricated, and has for one of its objects the provision 5 of a fitting or grease cup to be attached to the part to be lubricated together with a pump or grease gun and a coupler for detachably connecting the grease gun or pump to the cup.A

More speciiically the present invention relates to a coupler of the ball type wherein balls are employed as the means for connecting the coupler and gun or pump to the fitting or cup when the apparatus is in use.

A still further object of the invention is the l5 provision of an apparatus in which the coupler and the pump or grease gun are non-rotatable with respect to each other irrespective of whether or not an intermediate conduit is employed together with means whereby rotation of the coupler on the grease cup or fitting is prevented. This enables the apparatus to be employed in situations where it is inconvenient or impossible to use a device in which the coupler and the grease gun are adapted for relative rotation.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a tting or cup of such construction that a double seal is provided against the leakage of grease along the outside of the cup.

In the accompanying drawing wherein an embodiment of the invention has been illustrated:

Fig. 1 is an elevational View of my improved fitting, coupler and attached grease gun;

liig` 2 is a sectional view of the coupler and fitting;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the fitting; and

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a modified form of tting.

Referring to the drawing in detail, l designates a grease cup or tting which is adapted to be screwed into the part to be lubricated.

'2 designates a coupler adapted to be applied to the tting or grease cup I and 3 designates a grease gun by which grease is to be supplied under pressure. Intermediate the coupler 2 and grease gun 3 and connecting the two is a conduit 4. The coupler 2, conduit t and the grease gun 3 are non-rotatable with respect to each other.

The grease gun is of the type employing a cylinder and a piston 5 within the cylinder adapted to force grease under pressure out of the gun and into the cup or ntting I. lThe piston is moved along the cylinder by threaded rod l attached to the piston and rotated by handle 6 on the projecting end of the rod.

It will be appreciated of course that if desired the coupler 2 can be applied directly to the discharge end of the gun 3 thereby dispensing with the conduit 4.

The coupler 2 comprises a base 8 threaded at 9 to receive anipple I0. This nipple is threaded 5 externally at its rear end for receiving a member II which is forced into the conduit 4.

The base 8 is enlarged as shown at I2 and-this enlarged portion is provided with a short threaded bore of relatively large diameter which re- 10 ceives a threaded sleeve I3. v

The sleeve I3 is provided adjacent its forward or outer end with a series of slots It adapted to retain locking means in the form of balls I5.

These balls I5 are of such size with relation to the 15l slots Iii in the sleeve as to project inwardly of the sleeve for some distance as will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 2 of the drawing.

The sleeve I3 is provided internally with a floating piston I6 provided on its forward end 2.0 with a gasket I'I of suitable material such as leather or ber. This gasket is forced over the end of the piston so as to be expanded into grease proof Contact with the .walls of the sleeve I3.

The member I@ and base member 8 are bored 25 longitudinally as shown at I 8, in line with the conduit 4.

The floating piston I6 is of smaller `diameter than the interior of the sleeve I3 and is provided with a transverse bore I9 and a communicating 30 longitudinal bore 2t, the latter being in line with a bore 2i in the gasket I'I. It will be seen, therefore, that grease can be forced by the piston 5 through the conduit ll, members IIJ and 8 and into the rear end of the sleeve I 3, and from thence 35 along the sides of the oating piston I6, the transverse conduit or channel I9, longitudinal bore and the bore 2E of the gasket into the tting or grease cup I as will be described later on. v

Mounted on the enlarged portion I2 of the base 40 member 8 is a slidable casing or sleeve 22, this sleeve at its rear end being provided with a member 23 screwed thereon and provided with an inwardly projection portion 24 adapted to cooperate with the shoulder of the member 8 provided by 45 the enlargement of this member at I2 so as to limit the forward movement of the casing or sleeve.

The casing or sleeve 22 is provided internally with circumferential grooves 24 and 25 slightly spaced from each other by a portion 26 of the sleeve, as will be seen from Fig. 2. The outer end of the sleeve I3 is provided with radial slots Z'I diametrically opposite each other.

Intermediate'the sleeve I3 and casing 22 is a 5,5

coil spring 29, the rear end of which abuts the enlarged portion I2 of the base member 8, the forward end abutting a ring 30 which is carried by the sleeve I3, this spring 29 maintaining the ring 30 in engagement at all times with the locking balls I5 and always urging these balls toward locking position.

The fitting or grease cup I which is adapted for cooperation with the coupler above described comprises a cylindrical member 3I threaded at its rear end as shown at 33 for attachment of the cup to a part to be lubricated, and is provided also at its rear with a longitudinal bore 33. In line with this bore are bores designated 34, 35 and 36 of gradually decreasing diameters.

In the bore 34 is a ball valve 38 the seat of which is provided by the junction of the bores 33 and 34. Spring 39 holds the valve to its seat. The valve is unseated by being moved rearwardlyl of the fittingor grease cup I against the action of the spring 39 by the pressure Yof the grease as it is forced into the fitting. j

The, body of the fitting or grease cup I is provided withprojections 40V and 4I diametrically opposite each other. These projections may be, as illustrated, the ends of a pin 42 which passes transversely through the fitting, the endsrof this pin projecting beyond the periphery of the fitting.

Forward of these projections the fitting or cup is provided with a circumferential locking groove 43 adapted to receive the locking balls I5 of the coupler.

The forward end of the fitting is reduced in diameter to provide a fiat faced shoulder 44 and a tit or nipple 45. A

When the improved apparatus is put to use the Coupler 2 is applied thereto simply by pushing the same over the end of the fitting or cup I, the balls I5 at that time, so far as their position in the coupler is concerned, being as shown in Fig. 2. The engagement of the balls I5 with the ring 3l! and the pressure exerted in applying the coupler will move the, ring 30 rearwardly of the coupler against the action of the spring 29 until the coupler is advanced sufficiently to bring the grooveV 24 of the coupler sleeve 22 in line with the locking balls. The balls are now free to move outwardly radially of the coupler into this groove so as to permit the coupler to be moved upon the fitting until stopped by the engagement of the slots 21 with the projections 40 and 4I on the fitting or grease cup.

The spring 29 is at this time Vunder compression and release of the pressure on the coupler will permit the spring to force the sleeve 22 outwardly in a direction away from the fitting or cup, to the position shown in Fig. 2. It will be seen from this gure that the locking balls are in the locking groove Y43 while the sleeve 22 has been moved outwardly until the portion or ridge 26 of the sleeve between the sleeve grooves 24 immediately surrounds the balls I5 preventing their outward movement and hence holding the coupler locked to the fitting or cup, and rotation of the coupler on the fitting or cup is prevented by the engagement of the slots 2l with the fitting projections 40 and 4 I.

When pressure is applied to the grease in the gunV 3 to force the grease through the coupler and tting to the bearing or other parts to be lubricated the floating piston I6 is forced toward the fitting and the gasket I1 forced over the nipple 45 to bring the forward end or face of the bushing against the shoulder 44 of the fitting. This provides, therefore, a double seal against the leakage of any grease along the outside of the fitting or grease cup I and the higher the pressure on the grease the more intimate the contact of the gasket I1 with the nipple 45 and the shoulder 44, and the more pronounced the doubleseal.

Inasmuch as the gun 3, conduit 4 and the coupler are non-rotatable with respect to each other and inasmuch as rotation of the coupler on the fitting or grease cup I is prevented by the slots 21 engaging the projections 40 and 4I on the fitting or grease cup, the apparatus can be operated, that is, the rod 1 rotated to produce pressure on the grease, by one hand. This is very convenient when working around automobiles, for example, where the cup or fitting I may be almost inaccessible.

The embodiment of the invention as illustrated in Fig. 4 is the same as just described except that the projections 40 and 4I have been left off. The double sealing feature, however, provided by the tit 45 and shoulder 44 has been retained.

It Will be appreciated from the foregoing that while the grease cup or fitting above described has the advantages above referred to, it is also of advantage in enabling the fitting to be used with a grease gun of the push type, for example, which instead of being equipped with a coupler, such as the coupler 2, is merely pushed over the nipple 45 at the end of the fitting or grease cup.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 329,361, filed December 31, 1928. v

What I claim isz--Y 1. A grease cup for use in connection with a coupler for detachably connecting a grease gun to the cup, said cup comprising in combination a tubular member adapted to have its rear end attached to a part to be lubricated, the forward portion of the tubular member being provided with a sealing tit of smaller diameter than the main portion of the tubular member for sealing entry into a coupler and with a sealing shoulder for sealing engagement with the end of the coupler, said main portion of the tubular member being provided with a circumferential locking groove for cooperation with the coupler to draw the said tit and sealing shoulder into said sealing positions with respect to the coupler.

2. A grease cup for use in connection with a coupler for detachably connecting a grease gun to the cup, said cup comprising in combination a tubular member adapted to have its rear end attached to a part to be lubricated, the forward end of the tubular member being provided with a reduced portion adapted to cooperate with a coupling member to provide a sealing tit for sealing entry into the coupler and a sealing shoulder for sealing engagement with the end of the coupler, and a circumferential locking groove and projections on the periphery of the main portion of the tubular member to the rear of said sealing tit and sealing shoulder for locking a coupler to the cup and to prevent its rotation on the cup.

3. A grease cup for use in connection with a coupler for detachably connecting a grease gun to the cup, said cup comprising in combination a tubular member adapted to have its rear end attached to a part to be lubricated, the forward portion of the tubular member being reduced in diameter to provide a sealing tit and a sealing shoulder immediately to the rear of it, to provide a plug seal and face seal with a compressible portion of the coupler, the cup to the rear of the sealing shoulder being provided with a locking groove for cooperation with the coupler to draw the cup into said sealing engagement with the coupler.

4. A grease cup for use in connection with a coupler for detachably connecting a grease gun to the cup, said cup comprising in combination a tubular member threaded at its rear end to adapt it for attachment to a part to be lubricated, said member being bored longitudinally to provide aligned bores of different diameters, the connection between the two rearmost bores providing a valve seat, a ball valve in one of said last mentioned bores and opening outwardly of the cup, a spring for holding said valve to its seat, the forward end of said tubular member being reduced in diameter to provide a sealing tit concentric with the tubular member for sealing entry into the compressible portion of the coupler and a sealing shoulder to the immediate 5 rear of said tit, for sealing engagement with the end of the compressible portion of the coupler and a locking groove in the periphery of the tubular member back of said sealing shoulder to hold said tit and said sealing shoulder in the 10 said sealing positions with respect to the coupler.

DANIEL G. ADAMS. 

